As Long As Were Together
by Rebelchickie
Summary: Behind the Red brick house and the Creme colored cottage, there lived normal families. They had normal jobs and normal lives, but behind the fake smiles and outward facade's both families harbored and awful secret. Did anyone know of the children they kept locked up in their basement, tormenting, torchuring? No, i didnt think so. Behind every family lies a secret. And secrets kill.
1. Chapter 1-Hell Houses

Once upon a time, in the bustling city of Tokyo, there were two houses, side by side. One was a soft cream color, while the other was made of red brick. From the outside, you would think that these houses were ordinary, but they were far from it.

Inside the cream colored house, there were two parent. The father, Tsumugu Hinamori, was a bird photographer. He appeared happy and content always laughing and smiling, acting so sentimental and emotional.

The mother, Midori Hinamori, is the editor of a house wives magazine. She is kind and generous, always helping people. She is the best mother any child could have, or so you would believe.

But in that cream colored house, there is a secret. A secret kept in their basement. You see, all Midori and Tsumugu ever wanted was a son. What they got was a daughter. Her name is Amu Hinamori, better know to them as 'It.' Since, of course, they didn't get what they wanted, and both were already suffering from severe trauma from their childhoods, it drove them to the edge. They snapped. Instead of accepting Amu for the beautiful girl she was, they locked her away. Treated her like an animal. Even went as far as to experiment on her.

She was their human guinea pig.

In the brick house, there was a single father. His name was Aruto Tsukumori. He was a world renowned musician, who lost his wife in childbirth to his only biological son, Ikuto Tsukumori. That drove him to the edge of sanity. He caged his son, treating him like an animal, rather then a human. He showered his adoptive daughter with gifts, loving her with everything he had, and using 'all of his love' on her. Instead of his only son.

Now, both neighbors, when they first met, knew about the others situation. They were nothing but ecstatic to find someone else like them. They swapped experiments, and exchanged ideas. Soon, they were very close friends.

As the children grew older, there parents realized that they needed to go outside. They couldn't just keep them in a cage or they would simply cause trouble. So both sets of parents inserted tracking devices deep within their skin and let them go outside for an hour a day, together, of course.

That was when Amu met Ikuto. Immediately, they became best friends. They were the only ones in the whole world who understood each other. At the delicate age of 8 and 9, they really needed that.

They would always go to the park, hand in hand, and play together, or sometimes just observe the other children playing happily. The other parents, never knowing their situation, would comment on how cute they were and how they were going to get married when they got older.

They never understood.

They clung to each other to comfort each other for what was to come. They literally clung to each other for what could possibly be dear life.

When their hour was up, they would look into each others eyes a squeeze each others hands tight. Then they would walk down the separate paths to the cream colored house and the red brick house.

The door would shut and hell would begin again.

This went on for quite a while.

One day, Ikuto was standing outside the gate to his house, waiting for Amu to walk out. He waited, and waited, and waited some more. But she never came. He decided to go see if she was at the park. She wasn't their. He could not find the bubble gum pink, haired girl anywhere.

'Maybe,' he thought to himself. 'The experiment took their toll on her. Im sure that she is just to tired to come out.' he concluded. But he felt as if something was wrong.

The next day, he waited, and waited, and waited. But yet again, she didn't come. She never came again.

…

Deep in the words, there is a park. It is now old and beat down. You don't see any children play on it. You don't hear any laughing. It is completely silent except for the crunching of leaves as someone walks to a park bench. It is a 16 year old boy, with dark blue hair and matching eyes. He has his hands in his pockets and his eyes trained on the ground. He sits on the graffited bench and stares off into space.

You don't hear the boy utter a word. In fact, he hasn't talked since the day Amu stopped coming to be with him for that single hour a day.

Without her, there really was no reason for him to talk.

'_One day, Iku, where going to go someplace far away. So far that our parents will never find us. It will be sunny all the time, and we will always be happy. We will be together forever. Our lives are bad now, but they will get better. We will have a happy ending, wont we Iku?' the girl had asked im so many years ago._

'_Are you talking about heaven, Amu?' he had asked. She shook her head as she looked up at the sky._

'_No, silly. There is no room for us in heaven. We are stuck on earth forever. Im talking about some place here. We will find that place, Iku. Because that place can be anywhere, as long as were together,' she had told him, giving him a faint smile._

'_Yeah, your right. As long as were together,' he repeated, squeezing her hand tightly._

'As long as were together, huh Amu.' he thought to himself.

Anything was possible as long as they were together, but they weren't. Not now, at least. And nothing was possible if she wasn't here.

Nothing.

…

**I know I should be working on my other shugo chara story, but I don't want to! I am almost done with my Gakuen Alice story so im treating myself to this! I hope you like it! If you don't I will most likely delete it. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2-The Escape

Ikuto's P.O.V

It was a regular day in my life. I woke up, went through the motions, and finally I was let out so I could wait in vain for Amu to show up. But I could tell that today was different.

"Mutt! Get over here!" my father yells. I walk over to him silently, never showing a sign of disrespect.

"Im going to leave with the Hinamori's, don't get into trouble." he says. I nod my head and keep my head down.

I sit in my cage, bored out of my mind for two hours before I hear his car start, the garage open, and him drive away.

For about 5 minutes I just sit there, thinking about the only thing I ever do think about. I wonder what they did to Amu. Did they kill her? Did she escape? Will I ever see her again?

I need to know. I pick the lock to my cage and find my way to the door that leads to the upstairs. I kick it down without the blink of an eye. I walk up the stairs silently. It wasn't hard to go out the back door and jump the wooden fence that separated Amu's yard from mine.

I pick the lock on her back door and wander around. It all looks so perfect. But it is all a lie.

I find the basement door that has about 10 locks on it, and I pick them all. It takes awhile, but I do it. I walk down the dark stairway silently, and I hear the beeping and shuttering of machines. All I have to do is open this one last door.

I reach out my hand and place it on the knob.

There is a chance that my Amu is behind this door.

I turn the knob slightly.

A little more

A little more

_CLICK_

It swings open.

There are machines all around me. All of them are connected to cords and each other.

All of them are connected to the machine in the center of the room. It is a long rectangle and there is a pitch black dome over it.

'Amu,' I think to myself.

I walk over to the machine, and look at the buttons. It said something about a pass code. Only two letters.

_Flashback_

"_Iku, I love it when you say my name," Amu said to Ikuto one day._

"_Why is that?" he asked as he snuggled into her lap._

_She stroked his hair and lightly smiled down at him._

"_Mother and father don't ever call me by my name." she says quietly._

"_What do they call you?" he asks._

"_They call me 'it.' I don't like it, Ikuto," says Amu_ _sadly._

_Flashback end._

I type in 'it' and surely enough, the gas is released from the edge of the glass. I close my eyes and lift it up.

There lay Amu, asleep.

I just stared at her, eyes wide, for awhile. She had grown up. She wasn't the little girl I remember. Her pink hair was now down to her waist, and she was much taller, and filled out. She had perfect curves and a petite frame. Her eyes were closed, and her long dark lashes rested on her pink cheeks.

She was the very epitome of beauty.

I unhooked all the ugly machines from my beautiful Amu, and carefully picked the light girl up. I carried her outside. They wouldn't notice that she was gone for quite awhile. We needed to get away from this place.

And we were doing it together.

I just walked, and walked, and walked, until I got tired and put her down. It was on a hill, facing the city. You could see the moon and the stars perfectly. I set Amu down and covered her with my jacket. She was alive and breathing, just not waking up. I am tired. I lay down, wrapping my arms around her and fall into a comfortable sleep.

…


	3. Chapter 3- As Long As Were Together

Aruto's P.O.V

I drove home, barely able to drive without swerving to the side or hitting someone. Yeah, get in my way and ill run you over. Just see if I care.

I get home and stumble into the house.

"Mutt!" I slur, tripping over a table.

"MUTT!" I scream again.

How dare that mutt ignore me! Me! The one who created half of him. I raised him! And he doesn't even bother to answer me!

I don't care if he cant hear me through the basement door!

LISTEN HARER!

I go over to the basement door, and unlock it. I lean against it, forgetting that it is a push in, and stumble down the steps.

I hit my head and the world goes black.

…

Midori's P.O.V

"Honey! I love you!" I slur to my husband

"I know, I know, babes," my husband says to me as

He got out of the car, and came over to my side. He opened my door, and picked me up. He's so strong and dependable. And so sexy!

I giggled, and held onto him.

"Im so happy that we don't have to deal with 'it' anymore," I say, sighing happily.

"I know, it is pretty nice, isn't it." Tsumugu says.

"I think we need another baby," I whisper into his ear.

He gives me a wide smile and puts me on the couch.

"Sleep for now, honey, I have stuff to do," he says. I nod and snuggle up into the couch.

Night, night, world!

Midori Hinamori is going to bed.

And I fall into a drunk slumber.

…

Amu's P.O.V

I wake up, feeling warm all over me. How long has it been. My muscles feel so weak, and I feel so…different.

All the memories of what have happened to me rush back.

_Flashback_

_I had just come in from playing with Ikuto. I was hoping that my parent would go easy on me, because my body was weak and I was exhausted. When I walked into the lab, they were both looking at me with wide smiles on there faces._

"_Why hello, how are you?" my mother asks._

"_Im well, how about you?" I ask out of politeness._

"_Wonderful. Are you hungry?" my mother asks, that smile still on her face._

"_Yes please," I say quietly. _

_I know that she wasn't going to give me any food, that its just a game she loves playing, but the consequences are worse then playing along._

_Just trust me on that._

_She walks upstairs, and comes back down with a plate of steaming food._

_Alright, something is definitely wrong._

_She handed me the food and I looked up at her in desperation._

_I know that she did something to it, but I cant do anything about it._

_I take a bite, loving the taste of the sweet food on my tongue._

_I inhale the rest of the food, savoring ever bite of it. I wish that I could share it with Iku, everything was better when I shared it with Iku. His dad is even worse about feeding him. I should be grateful for this._

_Maybe my mommy and daddy are going to be nice from now on._

_After I finished eating, I was so overwhelmed with exhaustion that I could barely keep my eyes open._

_Mother chuckles as she watches me struggle to stay awake._

"_Oh, Amu, it is going to be a long time before you wake up. I know that Ikuto was making you happy. We cant have that. You don't __**deserve **__happiness. So sleep tight, darling. I hope that you never see the light of day again." she said as she shoved me down, making me hit my head against the wall._

_The pressure made me brace myself and close my eyes._

_The world grew black. Before it completely overtook me, I managed to mumble one thing._

"_Ikuto…Im sorry." _

_Flashback end_

How long had I been asleep? I slowly opened my eyes, the world was blurry, but soon it came into focus.

I was outside, and it was a beautiful night. The stars were shining, and the moon illuminated everything around me. I could see the city perfectly. I sat up, taking in my surroundings. I heard a groan at my side, and look over to see the most handsome face I have ever seen.

His dark blue hair cover his right eyes, but it is soft and shiny. His skin is naturally tan, and in a few places you can see scars, but otherwise its perfectly smooth. His body is stretched out, but his arms is still securely around me. I wonder how tall he is. He looks so much bigger. He is wearing a black long sleeved shirt, with blue trimming, and matching pants, and a cross necklace around his neck. He also had a black hat on his head.

I immediately knew it was Ikuto. He was so beautiful now.

I hear him groan again and he opens his midnight blue eyes and they stare into mine with a joyful expression. His face breaks into a smile and even his hidden dimples come out. He is truly happy. He's smiling, not just giving me his usual smirk.

"Hello there, gorgeous." he says. His voice is so hoarse. Its like he hasn't talked in a very long time.

"Iku," I say. My voice is just as scratchy. "How long has it been?" I ask.

He looks me up and down, and gives me his signature smirk.

" Look for yourself." he says.

I look down, and see what I look like now. Time has most certainly passed. Im not a flat chested, curve less child now. My long, pink hair now sways at my waist, my figure has filled out and I have curves in all the right places. Im much taller, but I am still petite. If only I could see my face.

"You are absolutely stunning," Ikuto says, as if reading my mind. I smile at him and he lays back down, hands behind his back.

"Are we running away?" I ask him as I lay next to him.

"Yeah, we finally are," he says.

"That's okay with me," I say as I take one of his hands. "As long as were together."

He doesn't reply, he just closes his eyes again and falls back asleep.

…


	4. Chapter 4-The Escape Revealed

Aruto's P.O.V

I wake up at the bottom of the stairs. My head is throbbing from where I hit it the night before. I look around, knowing that Ikuto should be sitting on a chair in front of me, waiting for me to wake up. He wasn't there.

I struggle to my feet, and stumble to the room where his cage is. I rub my eyes as I flick the light on. The cage was empty.

Where the hell was the boy?

Now im just pissed. I stomp up the stairs, into the kitchen. No Ikuto. Into the dining and living room. Still no Ikuto. Into my daughters room. Nope. My room. Nada. the guest room. Zilch.

He wasn't here.

I check my clock. Oh, it was time for him to go outside. He must have just let himself out. Stupid mutt. He should have waited for me.

I take a nice seat in the kitchen, take out a bottle of booze, and drink. Slowly and steadily, the hour ticks by. He should be home soon.

Another 30 minutes.

Then another hour.

No. I better not be correct. Ikuto better not have run away. There is no way! He would wait for amu. He would never leave by himself…. Would he?

Did the boy finally snap?

Or…did he do the unimaginable? Did he get amu then run away? He would never get in! what am I thinking? That's just…ridiculous….right?

I grab the phone from its home on the counter and dial my neighbors number.

"Hello! Aruto! How are you?" asks the commom cheery voice of tsumugu.

"Im good. Listen, I cant find Ikuto." I say.

"What?" his happiness faulters.

"He hasn't come home. I think he ran away." I say.

"There is no way! He wouldn't leave…..that's impossible! He would never be able to figure out the passcode! He isn't a genius!" he yells.

"He inherited my brain. He isn't stupid!" I hiss at him.

"Oh, aruto, I don't think its anything. You know Ikuto. He is just like a pathetic, alley cat. He wanders and wanders, but he always comes back home," he says.

That is true.

Ikuto is just like that. He will come home. There is no need for me to worry about anything.

"Yeah, your right about that." I say.

"He cant get her, and he wouldn't leave without her. Shes the reason he doesn't talk anymore, isn't she? I don't think he would have the heart to leave her here. The boy is pretty obsessed." says Tsumugu.

I chuckle at his comment.

"Got that right. Alright, well, I will see you soon," I say.

"Yep, alright bye," he says and the line goes empty.

There is no need to worry. He always comes back.

…

Tsumugu's P.O.V

Did he really leave? I find that extremely shocking. The Ikuto that we examined had a sole purpose for living, and that was to make sure that Amu was safe and happy. Well, as happy as she could be with the life that she has.

I sit at the table for a while, contemplating all the senerio's that could have taken place.

He could have went outside and gotten lost. He could have gotten beaten up and killed. He could have ran away. He could just be wandering somewhere. He could very well be just be hiding in the house. Aruto isn't a very thorough checker.

But there is still one more senerio that is possible. Probably the least likely of them all. What if he decided that it was time to rescue amu, and he got her out and ran away? It is near impossible, and he didn't have the resources to achive it, but he did have time on his side.

What if….

Well, it couldn't hurt to check. I go downstairs and see that everything is as I left it. I go over to the container that should hold her, and punch in the password. The lid lifts, and like I originally thought, there lies….

Wait….

Where is Amu?

I put both my hands on my head and shake it back and forth. They ran away! He actually managed to get the password and 'save' Amu. How?!

"MIDORI!" I scream, and my wife groggily makes her way downstairs.

"So, loud. I have a han-" her sentence was cut short when she saw the empty 'bed.'

"Ikuto took her." I say.

"We have to find them. Now!" she yells as she scrambles upstairs. We both run over to Aruto's house and pound on the door.

He opens it up, worry flooding his features.

"You were right. Ikuto got Amu. They left. They finally left," I say.

…

**Im kind of happy with this chapter. It didn't take long at all. Sorry for all the mistakes! Thanks so much for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5-What's Your Story?

Amu's P.O.V

I woke up when the sun rose into the sky with a colorful display of light. I sat up and watched it, a thing I had never been able to do before, when I was ACTUALLY outside.

Ikuto groaned and sat up, watching the sunrise silently at my side.

I watched as Ikuto stood up and stretched, visibly wincing as his tight muscles stretched.

"You okay?" I ask silently. He glances over at me.

"Just a little sore is all, nothing to bad," he said, never meeting my eyes.

"Never could lie to me," I said quietly as I tug his shirt. I don't trust my legs after so long of disuse to be able to carry my weight.

He sits down, trying to hide his wince.

I look at him expectantly, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" he asks innocently.

"Shirt, take off you shirt," I say.

I see him smirk, but I ignore it. He takes off his shirt, in slow motion I will add. His tan chest is sculpted to perfection. His body is absolutely perfect. The only thing that is wrong is the scars that cover his skin here and there.

"Don't start drooling," he says lightly as he leans against his hands.

I look at his stomach, trying to ignore his drool worthy six-pack, and focus at the task on hand. He had a huge scratch on his stomach, not deep, but still slightly bleeding.

"How did you get this?" I ask him.

"When I was carrying you, I tried to hop a fence, and I nearly dropped you. I caught you in time, but I got this. It just reopened when I stretched," he said, stretching.

I nod, and tore a piece of my black dress. I dabbed the scratch. Then, I kissed the cloth and pressed it against it.

"There, its all better," I say, my cheeks red and my smile bright. He looks at me softly, and gave me a soft smile. He gave me a quick peck on the lips.

I sat there, unmoving, in total, utter shock.

"We have to go and see what were going to do. Find a place to live. Crap like that." he says. I snap out of the daze, and look up at him. I try to get myself to stand, but I fall on my knees.

Ikuto bends down, his back facing me.

"Get on," he says. I climb on and he starts walking. Neither of us have any idea where were going, but does it really matter in the end? We walk through a neighborhood, looking at all the houses.

"Iku, are we ever going to have a house? Where are we even going to live? How will we get money?" I ask.

"Yes, I don't know and I don't know," he says quietly. He walks up to an old, shabby, apartment building.

"Lets see if we can live here," he says.

"Iku-" I say before he cuts me off.

"Shhhh, Amu, just trust me. I wont let anyone hurt you and I wont let you sleep out in the cold again." he says.

"Sorry, Iku," I say, and I lay my head down on his shoulder.

Ikuto has never let me down before, why start now?

…

Ikuto's P.O.V

I honestly don't have any idea what im doing. The only thing I know is what I have read in teen fiction books on runaways. Im hoping maybe it might be just a little bit easier. It never was easy, even in books.

I push the button on the door, hearing a loud beep.

A girl with long, flowing, purple hair.

Any normal guy would think she was extremely beautiful, and in all actuality, she was. I guess I really didn't even find any women attractive if she didn't have bubblegum pink hair and honey golden eyes. And her name was Amu… really she just had to be Amu, that was the end of that story.

She gave us an odd look.

"Do you need something?" she asks nicely.

"We need a place to stay," I say simply.

She is silent for a second, and I can tell she is contemplating. She looks past me, at Amu, who is peeking out from my shoulder. Immediately, her gaze softens.

"Normally, I would never even listen to what you had to say, but I have a feeling that you both have a very interesting story. Come on in," she said as she held the door open.

I followed her to an apartment in the back. She opened it, and we walked into a modest living room, very fashionably decorated.

"Nagi! Come here!" the girl yells, and another….is that a boy or girl…well, whatever the are, comes out.

"Who are these people?" Nagi asks.

"I don't know, im going to interview them and I wanted you here." the girl said. They stare at each other, and they both come to the same conclusion.

"Sit down, sit down," the girl says, and I sit down on the couch, setting Amu on my lap. Nagi sits across from us in a chair.

"Hello, My name is Nagihiko and im her brother. If she was as scatterbrained as usual, im sure she hasn't introduced herself. Her name is Nadeshiko." Nagi says. Nadeshiko comes back in with tea and cakes.

Amu perks up at the sight of food, and my stomach rumbles.

"Here you are," she says, setting the tray down. I pick up one cup, handing it carefully to Amu who smiles up at me.

"So, what are your names?" Asks Nadeshiko.

"My name is Amu, and this is Ikuto," says Amu cheerfully.

They nod there heads.

"Now, the real question is, what is your story?" asks Nagi.

…

**The story is going to go a new direction! Thank you all for everything and feel free to tell me what you think.**


	6. Chapter 6-The Violin

Ikuto's P.O.V

"What's your story?" ask Nagi so casually. Oh, if only it were that simple. It is far from that.

"Amu and I grew up in…unfortunate…situations." I say, slowly.

"And these situations where?" ask Nade.

"We were abused very badly by our family member. We were locked up and treated like animals. We only had each other," I say as I look at The beautiful girl next to me. She gives me a small smile.

"Finally, just yesterday, they left and I concocted a plan. I broke into their house, got Amu, and left. If we hadn't of left, we probably would be at the bottom of the river." I say.

"How do we know it's the truth?" asks Nagi.

"We have the scars to prove it." says Amu quietly as she sips her tea with the utmost grace.

Nagi and Nade are quiet for quiet some time. Then they look at each other and nod.

"We will let you stay here, but we expect you to get jobs and pay rent. We will help enroll you in school and everything." says Nade as she goes over and takes Amu's hands, smiling down at her happily.

"School?" Amu asks, looking up at her with a curiosity. "I get to go to school?" she asks. Nagi nods.

The smile that spread across her face put every star in the sky, the moon, and the sun to shame. It practically lit up the whole room.

"Can we see the place?" I ask quietly. Thank God that they where gracious and let us stay here. I don't know how much more Amu's frail body could take.

Nade nods, and I put Amu on my back again. She cuddles against my neck and plants a soft kiss behind my ear. I have to stop myself from groaning. She giggles innocently as she kisses my cheeks and strokes my hair. She doesn't realize how she is torturing me. Where not kids anymore. It doesn't seems so innocent.

We are led up stair to a door labeled 05 in neat numbers. Nade opens the door revealing a bare room it has dark, cherry wood floors, and the walls are painted a nice shade of grey. Off to the side, there is a kitchen that is simple, but fits its needs. Down the hall there are three doors. One is the bedroom. One is the bathroom. The other one a closet.

One bedroom. Only one bedroom.

"I am sorry we don't have any two bedroom apartments available right now, so this will have to do. I will bring up some dinner at 6, my treat, and an extra futon. We can sort out all the paperwork tomorrow, okay?" she asks cheerfully. Amu nods her head eagerly.

"Alright, cutie, ill take my leave then! See you in a bit!" she says to Amu and exit's the apartment.

Amu crawled off my back and leaned against me, coming in front of me.

"We did it! Im so happy!" says Amu as tears pool in her honey colored eyes.

"Then why are you crying?" I ask, brushing them away.

"Im so happy to be here. To be with you. We did it Ikuto, we finally did it!" she says, clutching my arm.

I pull her towards me and put my chin on her head. It fits just like to puzzle pieces, like it was absolutely made to be together. Like we were made to be.

"Of course we did it, I saved you. It will be just like you dreamed, Amu-Koi," I say teasingly. She blushed bright red.

"Don't call me that," she says. I snicker and kiss her forehead.

"What do you want to do all day?" I ask.

"Did you bring your violin?" she asks suddenly.

_Flashback_

_Amu and Ikuto where sitting at the bench in the park, holding hands like usual. The weather was perfect and they sat in a comfortable silence, just enjoying each others company. _

_After a while of sitting, they both heard a violin coming from a fountain nearby. Amu gave Ikuto a knowing look and they both ran over to see him. He played and played his songs filled with happiness, for this man was old and had lived a long, prosperous life._

_When he opened his eyes and saw Amu and Ikuto before him clapping, his old, wrinkled face turned into a smile._

"_Do you like my playing?" he asked kindly. Amu nods enthusiastically. Ikuto just has his eyes trained on the violin in the mans hand. He had seen many pretty things in his life, but that violin was the second most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Amu being the first, of course._

"_Well, you see, children, I am old and my hands don't work like they used to. It hurts me to play. But there is nothing that would make me happier then to teach you to play," he said. Amu looked excitedly over at Ikuto who had an expression of pure joy on his face._

"_Sir, I don't want to play, I want to sing along. Teach him to play," Amu said as she pushed Ikuto forward._

_The man spent the rest of the afternoon and into the early evening teaching Ikuto how to play. Once Ikuto go the notes down, he could play better then people who played it for years. Notes just came from his heart to his hands. _

_He composed pieces that put tears in the old mans eyes._

_As the sun was setting, the old man looked at the boy and the way he looked at that violin. He now knew why he had the urge to go to the park earlier this morning. It was to he could give this boy the gift of music._

"_Boy, I want you to take this violin and keep it. Play it for this girl every chance you get. Let it show what you feel, even when you don't want it to show on your face. Just treasure it," he said. Ikuto nodded. _

_The old man laughed and waved as he walked away. Amu and Ikuto both knew what was coming when they got home, I mean they where hours late, but it didn't matter. They hid the violin in its case inside a hollowed out tree._

_The day before Amu had disappeared was the last time that Ikuto had played it._

_Flashback end_

"Haven't touched it since you left." I say.

Her eyes widen.

"IKUTO! That's your most special thing in the world! What if its ruined or stolen?" Amu asks.

Oh, she has no idea. Yes, I love that violin. Do I love it nearly as much as I love her? Not even close.

"No, Amu, you are my most special thing." I say.

She blushes.

"Its important. I want to hear you play." she says.

Well, if she wants it, she gets it.

"Lets go get it then," I say.

…

**FINALS ARE FINALLY OVER! SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE. THANKS FOR READING AND EVERYTHING! **


	7. Chapter 7-Amu's Lullaby

Amu's P.O.V

We walked to the park, together, Ikuto leading by I tried to use my legs. I was pretty proud that I was able to stand on my own some of the way. Iku really did help me a lot. But then, I realized something.

The closer we got to home, the more uncomfortable I got.

The park was fairly close to our house. Just about a 10 minute walk.

What if they were waiting for us? What if they knew? What if they took us back?

"Amu, stop thinking such bad thoughts." says Ikuto.

"How?" I asked.

"Well, for one, it is written all over your face. Your like an open book, Amu. And two, your whole body tenses when you start thinking pessimistically. Stop worrying, they wont find us, and if the do, I wont let them take us. Never again, Amu," he says.

He has no idea how comforting those words are to me. After so much time of feeling nothing but constant hopelessness, Ikuto brought light and hope back into my life. I can even start to imagine what life would be like if he was gone. If I had never met him.

"Alright, I trust you, Ikuto. Like always." I say as I nuzzle his chest. We get to the fountain where Ikuto got his violin and he ran into the forest on the edge of the path. He was gone for about 3 minutes, and I started getting figity, but he reappeared and all my bad thoughts dissolved.

He set his violin case down on the fountain, and opened it, secretly praying that nothing was wrong with it and that its case did its job well. He opened it, and it was perfectly fine. The case had taken quite the beating, but it did its job well.

Gently, Ikuto took it out of its case, holding it as gently as you would hold a child.

He grabbed the bow, and dragged it across the strings. It sounded wonderful.

I could tell that he wanted to play me something, then and there, but I didn't like being so close to our old prison.

Ikuto could sense it, and he led me back home, violin in hand.

We arrived home, and before we made it up the stairs, there were Nagi and Nade.

"We brought the futon and dinner. Hope you like it, its curry," says Nade.

"Oh, that smells good, doesn't it, Iku?" I ask cheerfully, taking in the smell of the delicious food.

He nods his head, looking like is about to drool.

"Oh, Ikuto, you play violin?" asks Nagi, sounding surprised.

"Yeah, I do," he said as he unlocked the door. We all entered, and Nagi and Nade handed us the futon and the food, and bid us a good evening.

We sat on the floor of the empty living room, sitting on the futon, and ate the food. It was so good! I groaned, closing my eyes and savoring the food. I heard Ikuto chuckle.

"Like it, Strawberry?" he asked me. I nod my head enthusiastically. He laughs. Then, his face gets really close to mine. I blush ten shades of red, leaning away. He grabs my chins and turns it toward him.

He gets closer and closer, and my eyes automatically shut. Then I feel a tongue ON MY CHEEK. I squeak loudly, as he laughs.

"You should have seen your face!" he said smiling broadly.

"T-That wasn't nice!" I say, my face red.

"I was just getting some rice off your face. I did nothing wrong." he says, his voice feigning innocence.

I rolled my eyes at him. He leans over and gives me a quick peck on the lips. Leaving my eyes wide. He just continues eating, like nothing happened, his face not even showing a faint blush. My face, unable to get any redder, stared at the ground.

He had kissed me…again.

We finished dinner in silence. Ikuto put the remains in the fridge, and dragged the futon to the room. He took the blanket, and laid it on the floor. I wrapped my self up in it as he took out his violin and started tuning it.

I gave him my utmost attention. When the black violin was tuned, he put it under his chin, positioned his hand, closed his eyes, and played.

He poured out his heart, playing notes of sadness, despair and hopelessness, then suddenly, it turned happy. The notes were joyful. There was hope. So much hope.

I took in his face, while he played. Soft, shaggy midnight blue hair. Long eyelashes covering his azure eyes. Perfect nose that is a little sharp. Curvy lips that aren't too thin, but not to plump. He is tall and toned. He is everything any guy would kill to be. And any girl would kill for.

But he is your….wait…MINE! No, heavens no, Ikuto is just my friend. My best friend. He would never think of me that way, would he. I shook my head and refocused no the beautiful notes he was playing.

I closed my eyes and got lost in the notes. In the emotions that were so evident. Played with no shame at emotions some would call 'weak'.

"Amu, why are you crying?" asks Ikuto after the last note rings out. I hadn't even noticed. I put my fingers on my cheeks, and sure enough, they were wet. Ikuto bent down, wiping the tears away.

"Im sorry," he says, as if he is at fault for playing that song.

"Oh, Ikuto, it was so beautiful! I was crying because I have never heard something so wonderful! Have you named it?" I ask.

"Amu's Lullaby," he said softly. I smiled. "I love it," I say quietly.

Then a loud yawn escapes my lips.

He picks me up, blanket and all, and carries me to the room. He sets me down and takes his shirt off, and gets in with me. He spreads the blanket across both of us, and snuggles close to me, his breath tickling my shoulder.

"Goodnight, Amu," he says.

I can feel myself getting more and more drowsy.

"Night…Ikuto," I say, not even trying to keep sleep away.

And faintly, I thought I heard him say 'I love you' but Im not sure. It must have just been my imagination.

…

**Updated all my stories in one night! Woo hoo! Its only like 3:30 am. Thanks so much for reading! Love you all!**


	8. Chapter 8-Ikuto's Lullaby

Ikuto's P.O.V

_There was darkness. No matter where I looked, it was completely black. There was no hope. There was no light. There was nothing except for me._

_It was absolutely terrifying._

_I screamed and shouted and begged for someone, for something to be there, but no, nothing helped and no one cared. Then, I was falling. Falling and falling with no end what so ever. Or so I thought. _

_I hit the ground, and I was in a burning. Fire was consuming me. I screamed, just begging and begging for forgiveness. Forgiveness for whatever I had done to deserve this. _

_My eyes opened slowly, and I saw that I was in a place that looked so much like hell. Fire everywhere and the faces of everyone I knew laughing at me. Telling me that I would never escape._

_And I believed it._

_Then I saw a light, a light that almost blinded me, but at the same time, it gave me hope. Maybe, just maybe, I could be saved. Maybe there was redemption._

"_Ikuto, take my hand," I heard an angelic voice say. I looked and looked, but I couldn't find the source of the voice. _

_I knew that if I found the source then I could be save. I knew that it was my savior._

"_Ikuto," I heard the voice sing. _

_I look deeply into the light looking for whoever was calling me. Then I saw her. I saw a girl, dressed completely in white. Her beautiful, honey-gold eyes looked at me with an expression that I almost didn't recognize. They looked at me with love. Her long, pink hair flowed down her back, swaying slightly. She held out her pale hand toward me, and I raised my dirt covered one toward her. For a second, I was hesitant, not wanting to dirty so a delicate hand, but she smiled at me softly, and I knew I needed to take it._

_So I did. I took Amu's warm hand in mine._

_She pulled me towards the light, and it enveloped us both._

_We were standing in a place, completely made of white, the opposite of where I had been just moments ago._

"_Ikuto, everything is okay now," Amu said, backing away from me._

"_Where are you going? Amu?" I asked. She just frowned and backed away._

"_Im so sorry, Ikuto." she said. But then his father appeared, and grabbed Amu, holding a knife to her throat._

"_You don't belong here, you don't deserve redemption. You killed your mother. You deserve to die." Aruto sneered, holding Amu closer, and the knife hard enough to cut her mark free skin, making a trickle of blood go down her neck._

"_Let her go! Take me, just don't hurt her!" I yell desperately. _

_Aruto gets an evil grin on his face._

"_Ikuto, run! Save yourself! don't worry about me!" Amu screams._

"_No! Amu!" I say, running toward her._

_But Aruto sees me, and how willing I am to save her, he immediately, takes the knife from her throat and puts in into her stomach. Amu falls to the ground, gasping, eyes wide in shock._

"_A M U!" I scream, running toward her and cradling her in my arms._

"_Oh, Ikuto, be careful. I don't want you to be hurt," she said, putting her bloodied hand on my cheek. Her face is now deathly pale, and her eyes hold pain. Her white dress is now crimson red._

"_Amu…" I say, putting my hand over hers. I look up, expecting to see my father, but I am wrong. No one is there. _

_When I look down at Amu, I see her eyes have closed._

"_Amu." I ask, shaking her a little. No response._

"_Amu?" I ask again, shaking her a little harder._

"_A M U!" I scream, holding the dead, love of my life in my arms. _

_Then it all went black._

_Now I was in my house. Amu was gone from sight. All there was, was my mother and my father. The were yelling at me, but I couldn't understand what they where saying. I looked over in the mirror, seeing a younger version of myself. _

_Then I heard a whimper. I ignored my parents, and crawled toward the cupboard, where I heard the noise. I opened it and saw a younger version of Amu. She was crying heavily, and holding a small stuffed cat to her chest._

_When she saw me, she jumped into my arms._

"_Im scared, Ikuto," she whimpered. I just kissed the top of her head._

_Then, I was yanked away from Amu from behind, and held down. I struggled, but they where to strong. I looked back and saw my mother, an image that I had only seen in pictures. She smirked at me._

_I saw Amu being dragged by the hair to the center of the room._

"_Do you love her Ikuto?" asked my father._

"_Yes! Let her go!" I scream, kicking my legs._

"_Midori, Tsumugu, come out. My son here is in love with your darling daughter." he says, sarcastically. Amu's parents walk in, and look down at their daughter with disgust. _

"_Well, you know what they saw, if you love something, let it go." says Midori, kicking Amu in the stomach. She cries out, tears leaking out of her honey colored eyes._

"_Amu!" I scream, trying to get out of my mothers Death grip._

_They kicked and punched her, until she was no longer moving. And I knew she was dead. _

_I looked back at my mother with tears streaming down my cheeks._

"_Why, Mother, what did I do wrong?" I ask. "All I ever wanted was for you to forgive me and love me," I say._

"_You killed me Ikuto. You don't deserve love," she said._

_Then it all melted away._

_Over and over, in different settings and in different times, I watched the love of my life murdered as I watched. I couldn't do anything but watch._

"Amu!" I screamed, sitting up abruptly and trying to catch my breath.

"Ikuto! Ikuto! Is something wrong?" asked Amu from besides me. I looked around, trying to remember where I was.

I looked over at Amu, who was staring at me worriedly, her hand on my arm.

Immediately, I engulfed her in my arms. I buried myself in the crook of her neck, taking in her sweet smell of strawberries. I could feel her heartbeat against my chest. She was alive, and nothing was going to happen to her.

"Ikuto? What is happening? Are you alright?" she asked desperately, pulling back so she could see my face. I just put my face back in her neck.

"Just a nightmare." I said. She ran her fingers through my hair.

"Im so sorry." she said.

"Your alive," I say, more to myself then to her.

"Of course I am. I am not going anywhere," she says to me.

"Always?" I ask quietly, hating the vulnerability in my voice.

"Of course. I love you Ikuto, and im not leaving you." she said. I smiled lightly, and pulled her so we were laying down, me still snuggled against her. She ran her fingers through my hair, humming lightly.

"**Hush-a-bye Ikuto,**

**Lay down your head**

**Nothing can hurt you**

**While you're here in your bed**

**Hush-a-bye Ikuto,**

**I am okay**

**Nothing will hurt me**

**And with you ill stay**

**Hush-a-bye Ikuto,**

**Sleep in sweet bliss**

**Ill rock you to sleep**

**And give you a kiss,**" Amu sang quietly. It wasn't the best, but I know that she came up with it on the spot, and to me, it was beautiful.

She gave me a peck on the lips, and fell asleep. I didn't plan on falling back asleep, but listening to her soft breathing and occasional mumbles about unrelated topic, along with the steady sound of her heart in her chest, it lulled me back to sleep, where this time, no nightmares got to me.

…

**Figured Amu got a lullaby, and figured Ikuto needed one too. Both need to be seen in a venerable state. Thanks so much for reading and feel free to give me your opinion. **


	9. Chapter 9-Ill Make You Pay

Aruto's P.O.V

We had been waiting and waiting. We had expected that Ikuto would show up with Amu when he realized that he couldn't support the two of them, that he would come crawling back.

Midori and Tsumugu, being the weaker being they are, said that they would keep Amu as a made for their child, which Midori just found out that she was pregnant with.

I, on the other hand, had decided that Ikuto was of no use to me anymore, so he would just be put out of his misery.

Maybe quick and painless, maybe long and drawn out.

I hadn't really decided yet.

"We did everything to stop them, yet they still got away. I don't get how Ikuto could have done it." said Tsumugu.

We were all sitting across from each other at a table, talking over what could happen.

"He is his mother and my child. He is a genius, of course. You cant suppress that." I say. For some reason my heart started swelling in pride. My son was smart. Then I reminded myself that he killed his mother.

That pride turned into disgust.

"Still, we never trained their brains. We taught them how to read and write, so they could do our menial tasks, but that's it." says Midori, absent mindly rubbing her stomach.

"They did our taxes," says Tsumugu.

"Paid the bills," I say.

"They must have taught themselves all theses things. They were born with sharp minds, they must have trained them." Finished Midori.

For awhile we were sitting there, each person lost in their own thoughts.

"The tracking devices!" I say, standing up.

"You mean the ones we put in their arms?" asked Tsumugu excitedly. I nod.

" I cant even remember where the program for that is on the computer, its been so long," says Midori.

"I know that it is on my computer, ill find it and call you. In the meantime, I know that you were going to celebrate your pregnancy, so go have fun," I say. They smile at me.

"Im sure our SON will be even smarter then both of them," chirps Midori. Tsumugu just stares at her, eyes holding doubt.

Midori wasn't far along, an no one knows what the gender of the child, she was just living in her fantasy land of sons. It really was sad, so sad.

"Im sure he will too," I say. She smiles brightly at me, and Tsumugu smiled at me gratefully.

They both leave me to my thoughts.

I sit at the computer, typing away and trying to find that program on my overly crowded computer. It was just me typing away for awhile, until I heard footsteps behind me. I turn around to see Utau staring back at me with her amethyst eyes.

"What happened to Ikuto?" she asked.

"He left," I say.

She was silent. I had looked back at the screen, but once again, I looked at her only to see tears streaming down her cheeks.

"What's wrong?" I ask her, pulling her into my arms.

"Ikuto was my friend, I didn't want him to leave," she said, acting like a three year old, not the 15 year old she was.

"He was scum-" I start, but she cuts me off.

"No, he wasn't. when you left, he stayed with me, making sure I wasn't scared. Sometimes, Amu would come with him when we were younger, and we would curl up together and Ikuto would hum us to sleep. He was my friend and my brother. I loved him," she said.

"Why didn't you love him like you love me?" she asks, before turning and walking away.

She loved him. I couldn't believe the angel of my life loved my worst nightmare. How could she form any amount of affection for the murderer of her would be mother?

_When you left, he stayed with me._

All the times I had hit the bar, he watched her and made sure that she was safe and sound. He did my job, when I didn't.

I cringed.

He was doing a better job then me.

I shook off the thought and continued my search. Finally, I found the file I was looking for and pulled it up. This should tell me where the two brats are. I looked, waiting for the green dots to pull up on the map, but they weren't there.

"Find Ikuto and Amu," I type.

_**These devices have been deactivated.**_

I read that line over and over again. How? We never touched those things, knowing that maybe we would need them at some point in time.

_Flashback_

_It was a regular day, and I had a massive hangover. Ikuto sat food and coffee down in front of me, and was hesitantly standing there._

"_What do ya want?" I ask, taking a bite of the food._

"_What do really strong magnets do to electronically devices?" he asked._

"_The break them. Why?" I say, suspicious._

"_Because at the park, a mother was holding her sons toy magnets in one hand, and phone in the other, and she switched hands, and the whole things broke." he said._

"_Magnets and electricity don't mix. Now shut up an go away," I say. He just walks away._

_Flashback end_

I had given him the answer. I had technically deactivated those magnets for him.

Oh, Ikuto, I will make you pay for this.

You will pay for your sins.

…

**Thanks for reading, feel free to tell me what you think.**


	10. Chapter 10-New Friends And A New Job

Amu's P.O.V

I woke up to light softly streaming through the window.

"Mmmmm," I grumble, stretching. I tried to sit up, but someone anchored me to the bed. I looked down to Ikuto asleep on my stomach, snoring softly. I guess that those nightmares had exhausted him.

I heard a silent knock at the door, and carefully slid myself from Ikuto's arms.

I padded across the empty apartment and opened the door to see Nade, Nagi, and a group of people. Oh, no, are they there to hurt us? I was just about to yell for Ikuto, when Nade spoke.

"Where not here to hurt you, I wanted you to meet all the other tenants. Is it okay if we come inside?" she asked, her voice soft. A wide smile creeped its way onto my lips, and I could hear a collective gasp.

I opened the door wide, and stepped to the side.

"Welcome to our humble abode," I say, giggling. They all come in and look around.

"Where is all the furniture?" asks a boy with spiky brown hair and bright green eyes.

"We…don't have any," I admit, chuckling from embarrassment.

"Ohhhh! Yaya has some extra things you can have!" says a cheerful girl with orange hair and brown eyes, jumping up and down.

"I couldn't take your furniture." I say.

"Oh! Its extra! Yaya got new things at a sale and there in storage until Yaya can get rid of my current things! You would be helping Yaya!" she said, taking my hands and smiling brightly. I brushed and smiled gratefully.

"We brought food…lots of it. We can all have introductions while we eat. Where is Ikuto?" Nagi asks.

"Ikuto? Who is that?" asks Yaya. As if woken by his name (or all the noise we were causing) Ikuto walked out… shirtless. I could see everyone's, and I mean everyone's, face get brighter. EVEN THE BOYS.

"Amu, Where did you go?" he asked in a husky, sexy voice as he sat beside me, laying his head on my lap.

"Had to get the door," I say, soothing back his hair and giving him a smile.

"Ohhhh! Yaya didn't know that you were married," exclaims Yaya.

My face gets bright red, and before I can say anything, Ikuto pulls my head down and kisses me on my nose. He turns to Yaya with a smirk on his face.

"Yes, she is my beloved strawberry," he says, nuzzling my stomach.

"I-Ikuto!" I stammer.

"Well, lets get on with eating and the introductions," says Nagi. We all sit down on the floor and Nadeshiko unwraps all the food.

I don't think I had ever seen that much food in my life.

We all dig in, well, all of us besides Ikuto. He kept staring at me without saying anything. Finally, I popped some food in my mouth and he smirked at me. Of course, he couldn't tell me what he wanted. Heaven forbid that!

"Well, Amu, you start," says Nade.

"Hello, my name is Amu Hin-" I start, but Ikuto cuts me off.

"She is Amu Tsukiyomi." he finishes. I nod.

"I am 15 years old. it's a pleasure to get to know you," I say, smiling.

"Ikuto Tsukiyomi, im 16, nice to meet you," Ikuto says. I just chuckle.

"As Yaya said, Yaya is Yaya Yuiki and she likes candy! Yaya just turned 15!" said the orange haired pigtailed girl.

"Im Kairi Sanjo, I am 15. Nice to meet you," a green haired boy with bright blue eyes says politely as he pushes up his glasses from the bridge of his nose.

"Name's Kukai Souma! Nice taa' meet cha'! Im 16!" says the brown haired boy with the green eyes.

"Rima Mashiro. 15 years old." says a short girl, with brown wavy hair past her butt and golden eyes.

"Tadase Hotori, it's a pleasure to meet you," he says, his flippy blonde hair, and droopy red eyes making him look more feminine. He looked like a cute girl. His red eyes bore into mine and he had a slight blush on his cheeks. I could see Ikuto glaring at him.

"You know who both of us are, so now you know everyone." says Nagi.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are all of you living alone if you are so young?" I ask hesitantly.

The room was silent for awhile.

"They all have different reasons. Rima's parents were always gone, and she didn't want to be in that big house alone," says Nagi, looking adoringly at Rima. She just turned away.

"Yaya's mother was addicted to drugs. Never touched her, but when her mom went into rehab, she was left by herself." says Nade, patting Yaya's head as she ate some food, oblivious to the conversation.

"Kukai's parents just worked all the time and expected him to baby-sit all the time, so since he skipped a grade, he is doing his senior year here and going to the collage a couple miles from here. He did leave them with a nanny. Visits them all on the weekends." says Nagi, patting Kukai's shoulder and making him grin.

"Tadase is here because he goes to school, like all of us, at Seyio and he lives far away. He didn't want to waste his scholarship so he moved down here." says Nade. she had a look of yearning in her eyes. She liked Tadase, a lot. Yet he didn't even give her a second glance.

"I simply decided to move out and live on my own," says Kairi. He was hiding something, but I wasn't going to force him to tell.

"Our parents died, so we got these apartments. We have been running them ever since." says Nagi.

"We had our stories told, what's your?" asks…well.. Demands Rima.

Ikuto and I share a look..

"We didn't have the best family situation. I took Amu and ran." says Ikuto.

"Oh, you two are really close siblings then! I thought you two were married," says Yaya.

"She is NOT my sister. She is my strawberry," says Ikuto in a soft voice.

"You share an apartment." we nod.

"Its not that bad, they have separate rooms," says Tadase.

"No, we don't," says Ikuto.

"Separate beds?" they ask, incredulous. I tilt my head to the side.

"Why would we need separate beds, its warmer in one," I say, not really understanding. Ikuto tries to stifle his laughs.

They all look at me.

"What?" I ask.

"Oh, well, they have had a different type of life. Lets get out of their hair for awhile." says Nade.

"Thank you for everything! It was so nice to meet all of you!" I say brightly. They all smile and wave, leaving to their apartments.

Ikuto gets off my lap.

"Where are you going?" I ask.

"The bathroom. Im going to go find a job so we can get money. Be back later." he says.

I don't want him to leave. I look at him with pleading eyes.

He turns away and does him business.

I grab onto his arm as he is walking towards the door and he looks at me.

"Baby, I gotta go get a job so I can get us money," he says, holding me against him. I nod and watch as he walks out.

I can just tell that something is not right.

…

Ikuto's P.O.V

I walk towards the city and go from place to place, looking at jobs and the pay. I have a basic estimate on how much it will cost Amu and I to live each month, and since I can only work part time with school, of which im supposed to sign up for.

For hours and hours I walked around, trying to find a job that would be able to support Amu and I.

There wasn't a single one that would.

What were we going to do?

I walked past an alley, to see a group of people surround a girl. She was screaming, and they were cornering her, chuckling evilly. Oh, no.

I yanked one of the guys back, and elbowed him in the nose. He fell unconscious. Two other guys charged, and I dodged, and rammed here heads together. I felt a kick from behind, and fell to my knees, but I grabbed his foot as he tried again and flipped him, shoving him into a garbage bin. The last one stood there, petrified, and I simply punched him in the face.

The tiny, black haired girl, dressed in a school uniform, sat bawling in a corner.

"I wont hurt you, you can go. They are gone," I say softly. She looks up at me with big grey eyes.

"T-t-thank y-you," she said, relief in her voice. I nod and she runs off. I start heading home, back to my Amu, when I heard a voice from behind me.

"Hello, sir?" a well dressed lady said. "My name is Yukari Sanjo and I saw what you did in that alley. I work for a company called Easter. I want to know if you would like to work for my company?" she asked.

"How much do I make?" I ask.

"Don't you want to know what you have to do?" she asked, incredulous.

"No, how much do I make?" I ask. She writes down a number on a paper and hands it to me.

"A month?" I ask. If it was, I would accept.

"A mission," she says.

I didn't even hesitate.

"You have yourself a deal."

…

**Thanks so much for reading! Tell me what you think!**


	11. Chapter 11-What Ill Do For Amu

Ikuto's P.O.V

I walked into the apartment and what I saw made me freeze. It was furnished. There was a black leather couch with a matching chair and love-seat. There was a cherry colored coffee table and a matching TV stand. There were even a couple of lamps.

And laying on the couch, was Amu, fast asleep.

I go over to her, and pick her up and put her on the bed. I to go look in the envelope she gave me, but im stopped.

"Ikuto. Do you love me?" I hear Amu ask.

"Yes, I love you, Amu." I say, turning back to her.

Her honey golden eyes are barely open. Her posture is swaying. She is only half awake.

"Why do you love Amu?" she asks.

"She is Amazing and she is my Amu," I say.

"You don't like other girls?" she asks.

"No," I say.

"Even when we get into school?" she asks.

"Ill always only love Amu," I say.

"Liar," she says harshly, far to harshly for Amu.

"Amu knows that one day you will find another girl and you will love her more then you love Amu. You will tell her all the things that you told Amu and you will abandon me for her and live in a pretty house and have pretty babies all while I die of broken hea-" she rambles, until I cut her off with my lips.

When we separate her eyes are barely open a slip.

"I promise you I wont do that to you. You are the only girl I will ever love," I say. She slowly nods her head and she lays down on the pillow. I lay down with her, wanting to wait until she is asleep to open up the envelope.

"Did you get a job?" she asks, drowsily.

"Yes."

"That's good. Im so proud of you," she says softly.

"Yeah, now its time to go to sleep, honey, okay?" I ask. She nods and smiles, before snuggling into the blankets and falling asleep.

I go into the living room and look through the envelope. There are so many papers.

"READ FIRST" says the top one in blaring red letters.

It's a…contract..

I read through it, my eyes growing wide. It was saying that I was going to be an assassin. I wouldn't hurt innocent people, just bad people. It was also saying that if I get injured on the job, they must treat me, no one else.

But the biggest catch was, I couldn't tell anyone about the job, or they would be drafted into it too. I close my eyes and run my hands through my hair. I didn't keep things from Amu. It was hard and I just didn't like to do it. We were so honest with each other.

I continued reading.

Oh. I would have the cover of a model. A male model. That works.. I guess. Im getting twice the money. That is a lot of money. Im also getting an immediate enrollment into… Seiyo Academy… huh… that's convenient.

I sign the contract and take out the blue phone in the bottom of the pack and dial the number that was stated.

"Hello?" I ask.

"Ah, Ikuto. I knew you would call. Did you sign the contract yet?" The female asked cheerfully.

"Yeah. Ill be starting in two day?" I ask.

"Yes. Just put the signed contract in your mailbox outside your door. Someone will pick it up before you wake up tomorrow morning. See you soon, Ikuto, and remember to keep your secret." she says. I hang up the phone and pack it all up, putting the papers in the mailbox. When I come back inside, I find Amu standing in the hallway.

"Ikuto?' she asks.

"Yeah. Im coming to bed in a minute, go wait there." I say as I grab a rice ball from the fridge and stick it in my mouth.

"Ikuto, what are you hiding from me?" she asks. I freeze, for just a second, but I knew she saw it.

"Nothing," I say, turning away from her, not meeting her eyes.

"Ikuto…" she starts, but I cut her off.

"Im showering, then im going to bed. Ill be there in a minute," I say, as I go to the bathroom and shut the door. I hear her go back to bed and I lean by back against the door and slide down to the floor.

I had lied to Amu.

I had LIED to Amu.

'It was for her own good,' I say mentally and I step into the shower.

I get out and head to bed, shutting off all the lights. Silently, I crawl under the warm covers and get comfortable. I had expected for Amu to stay on her side and give me her form of the 'silent treatment,' but like always, she surprised me by snuggling up to my side.

"I know that you are hiding something from me, but that is okay. I know that you wouldn't do anything to hurt me, and you wont hide something from me unless its for my own good. I trust you, Ikuto. I hope you trust me too," she says.

Lovingly, I hold her tightly against my chest. Words cant even describe how much I love this girl in this very moment.

She gently slumbers in my arms and I make a resolution.

This job isn't simple or easy, but I will do it so Amu can be treated like the angel she is.

…

**Simple. Yes. Am I completely satisfied? No.. but it will get better…promise….short and somewhat sweet. Thanks for reading.**


	12. Chapter 12-Kairi's Motivation-REVISED

**FIXED! I HAD THE LAST CHAPTER UP TWICE AND I FIXED IT! SORRY SORRY! THANKS FOR TELLING ME**

Amu's P.O.V

I woke up, like usual, in Ikuto's arms. It had almost become normal. To me, it wasn't that big of a deal I had been with Ikuto my whole life. For our new found friends, not so much….

I hear a knock on the door while I was eating some left-over food for breakfast. It was only 7:30, I wonder who it is. I open the door quietly and see all the girl there, dressed in matching school uniforms.

"Do you need something?" I ask. They just grin, dragging me out of the house still clad in my pajama's and into Nade and Nagi's apartment.

"What are you doing?" I ask as they drag me to Nade's light purple room and sit me down on her comfortable bed.

"You are coming to school with us today, so we have to get you ready. And quickly, we don't have much time." says Nade. They brush my hair and put light makeup on me, just a touch of blush and some eye liner and mascara to highlight my eyes.

"Now, go get changed into this. Its my old school uniform. It should fit you." says Nade, lightly pushing me towards the bathroom. I get in, quickly changing into the white blouse, black blazer with the schools crest on it, red plaid skirt and white socks with black shoes. I look in the mirror and smile, they did a great job on my make up and hair. I open the door, only to be tackled by Yaya.

"Yaya thinks you are so cute!" she yells, making me blush. Nade smiles and takes my hand.

"Lets go get Ikuto up and see what he thinks." she says as we walk back up to the apartment. We open the door and silently sneak through the living room, barely containing our laughter. Slowly, we open the door and scream….only to find it empty.

"You guys really should be quieter. I could hear you from a mile away," says a voice from behind us, causing us to scream again, this time out of surprise.

"Iku! That wasn't fair!" I whine, crossing my arms playfully. His eyes turn towards me and widen slightly.

"We are going to school today! Hurry and get ready so we aren't late," I chirp happily. All through my childhood, I had dreamed of school. Being able to learn every day, to see your friends, to meet new people. It had always been something I had wanted to do.

Ikuto sighs, but listens, going into our room and changing.

Once we were ready, we all walked outside were all the boys were waiting for us. The all smiled upon seeing us, and we were all ushered into a big SUV. Expensive….

"Ready to go to school?" asks Nagi as he start the car. Yaya and Nade nod, Rima grumbles, Kairi makes brief eye contact, Kukai whoops and I smile. Ikuto just sits there quietly next to me, eyes trained out the window.

I put a hand on his, and his attention immediately focuses on me.

"Ikuto, are you okay?"

…

Ikuto's P.O.V

She asked me if I was okay. Okay? Had I ever been okay? We grew up in the home of wack-job scientists who treated us poorly, almost had to live on the streets, have no money until I start my job, and im going to be separated from Amu all day. The whole age difference thing sucks right now.

I try to give her a small smile, but it doesn't really work. Her forehead creases and her eyes look confused.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asks. This time, my forehead creases.

"Of course not. Im just not comfortable being away from you all day." I say, tucking her beautiful hair behind her ear. I could tell they had put make up on her, and I wondered why. She absolutely beautiful without it. Her big, honey golden eyes got bigger as she realized she WOULD be away from me all day.

She looked at Nade pleadingly, but Nade just shook her head.

"Amu, there is nothing that I can do. You cant just skip a grade just so you can be with Ikuto." she says to her. Her eyes get sad and she snuggles against me.

"Yaya thinks that Amu-chii shouldn't be sad because Yaya knows that Nade and Rima and hopefully sometimes Yaya will be there to help Amu. Yaya also knows that Amu-chii can see Ikuto-kun at lunch." chirps Yaya lightly.

"Ill be just fine. You will too. It wont be that long. Ill see you," I say. She looks up at me for a few moments, making sure I was telling the truth. She then sighs.

"I guess I don't really have a choice. You have to promise you will eat lunch with me, though." she says. I nod and she just smiles back at me, perfectly content and back to her excited self.

"Where here," says Nagi as he pulls into a parking space. The building was huge and shiny. People were mingling and walking around everywhere, smiles on their faces. It was so odd that they all seemed to be together in one place without brawls all around.

We all get out of the car, and it seems like all eyes immediately turn towards us. Whispers break out and people start pointing like we are exotic, rare creatures that were few in number.

"Why is everyone starting?" asks Amu.

"Because you are the shiny new toy that everyone wants," says Kairi.

….

Kairi's P.O.V

All eyes were on Amu and Ikuto. I really cant blame them, I mean, new students aren't that rare, but Ikuto and Amu were both abnormally beautiful. Even I will admit that.

"I have to go to the office, do you want me to take them there with me?" I ask politely, pushing up my glasses further up my nose.

"That would be great, thanks Kairi. I have to go talk to a teacher about the festival." says Nade. She says some stuff to Ikuto and Amu and then leaves, taking Rima and Yaya along. The boys simply just walk to there lockers, going to get their books for class. That leaves Ikuto and Amu with me.

"Lets go," I say, shortly, walking down the hall towards the office. They simply follow me silently, hands linked and arms brushing. Its makes me jealous to think that they get a romance when the only girl I have even liked cant be with me because of my damn sister.

I take them into the office and the secretary gives the all the paperwork….but their isn't enough for two. Only one. Earlier, I noticed when the secretary was going to say something about him, he gave her a sharp glare. There was something up…

Ikuto sits in the chair quietly, filling out all of Amu's forms while she sits next to him, talking to him about something or another. Why didn't she fill out her own forms?

"Ikuto, don't you have your own forms to fill out? Why are you doing Amu's?" I ask. He stares at me for a moment, knowing that I knew something.

"Im faster than her," he say simply, looking back down at the paperwork. He fills it all out, and the secretary says something about uniforms.

"Well, im glad that she is using that uniform, because otherwise we would have had to order one. We just so happen… to, uh… have one in you size…Mr. Tsukiyomi…" she says nervously. I watch him seriously, but he just ignores my gaze, taking the uniform. He goes into the bathroom and changes into it, coming out with it on loosely, making my eye twitch from the fact that he is breaking dress code.

"You have to take standardized tests to see your level, then you will be placed accordingly. Just go into those room and sit in the desks with the computers and click the answer you think is right. Just come out when you are done." I say. They both nod and do as I say while I go talk to the principle.

I knock on his door and I hear a soft 'come in' from the other side. Taking a deep breath, I open the door.

"Why hello, Kairi, how are you?" the principle asks.

"Good. I just came to inform you that there are two new students. One is acting suspicious and I-" I start.

"Don't worry about it. I know what im doing," he says casually.

"But-"

"I said don't worry. Just be a good boy and do as I say," he says sharply. I swallow my words and nod.

"Good. Now go wait for them to get out of standard testing." he says. I nod again and leave his office, scowling.

When I get out of there, I see both Amu and Ikuto sitting in the seats in the front office, waiting.

"You are supposed to be testing," I say, my irritation growing.

"Were done," says Amu. I was speechless. That is usually an hour long test. They finished it in maybe ten minutes. They must have flunked it. I go over to their computers, and check their score….

What I saw made my jaw go slack.

They had both not only finished the test, but they had also scored some of the highest score that I had ever seen. Higher then even MINE.

They were both geniuses, which made me all the more curious about their situation. What were those 'family issues' they fled from? Why are they so close? What makes them act the way they do yet be as smart as they are? Who are they really?

It was time to find out.

…

**ITS BEEN FAR TO LONG! SORRY TO DISAPPOINT YOU! FORGIVE ME 10000000000000000X over. Iv just been so braindead… so sorry! Thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13-You Dont Know

Ikuto's P.O.V

I didn't like the way that Kairi's eyes bore into Amu and I. They were cold and calculating, but I could there was a hint of surprise mixed in.

"You cheated," he accused immediately. I smirk at him, brushing his comment off.

"Neither of us cheated. We are just….smart…" I say casually, and I can see his temper flaring.

"There is no way that you did that test in that little amount of time. Its not possible." he says defiantly.

"Kairi-san, if you want us to retake it, you can watch as we do it. We didn't cheat. I cant possible even think of a way you even could." says Amu softly.

"There is no possible way that you could finish that quickly." he says harshly, making Amu flinch slightly at his tone.

"We didn't cheat. We will retake it if that will soothe your conscience. I say, trying to keep my calm. He could yell all he wanted at me, but snapping at Amu was a completely different story.

He stares at both of us for awhile, his eyes practically drilling holes in our heads as he searched for a hint that we weren't telling the truth. Amu shifts uncomfortably next to me, while I stare at him back, challenging him to make the first move. Finally, he looks away.

"I will go get your schedules. Since both of you show so much….promise….you will be in higher level classes. That is if its okay with you," he says. I nod my head, and Amu does the same. He walks off, leaving us alone for a moment.

"I hope that we can stay this happy." says Amu after the door was firmly shut.

I look down at her and rub the top of her pink head.

"Are you happy, Amu?" I ask softly. She turns to me with a stupid look on her face.

"Of course I am! I have everything thing that I could ever dream." she said. She did look happy. Her face glowed in a way that I had never seen in before, but if you looked into her eyes, looked really, really hard, you saw just a twinge of sadness.

"But…."

"But I feel like something is wrong and something is missing in my life." she whispers, looking up at me with her big, golden eyes.

In that very moment, I almost felt hypnotized. Her eyes bore into mine as if challenging me to tell her. Tell her the truth about my job. The truth about how scared I really was to have to be apart from her for even a single class period. The fear that maybe a guy would come along who would sweep her off her feet and take her away from me.

I tucked some of her hair behind ear and gave her a smile. "Maybe its because we need to find our new normal." I say softly.

She gives me a smile and leans against my shoulder.

Kairi comes back in and hands us our schedules, seemingly irked about something. I look over my schedule and find nothing on it of any interest. All seemed pretty boring to me.

When I looked over at Amu, her eyes were sparkling in a way I had never seen them before. She was looking at the white piece of paper as if she had just been given the best present ever.

"Thank you, Kairi-san!" says Amu as she beams up at him, giving him a smile that made the side of my mouth twitch in annoyance. It pissed me off that a smart-ass like him could get a smile like that from Amu. I was about to shoot him a glare when Amu's face turned toward mine, that smile still in place, and she took my schedule.

"Ikuto! We have the last four classes together!" she chirped happily. I glanced down at her schedule and smirked.

"So we do," I say.

"Hate to intrude on your 'happy fest,' but im missing class and you are missing class, which I really don't appreciate, so how about I show you two to your classes." Kairi says, pushing those stupid glasses farther up his nose.

I nod my head, putting a hand on the small of Amu's back, and following behind Kairi. He leads Amu to her room first.

"Have a good class period. I will see you in a little bit," I say softly, squeezing her hand and kissing her forehead. She nodded, and timidly knocked.

After the door clicked shut, Kairi immediately turned to me.

"I think I know your secret." he says smoothly, playing it off as cool. I turn to him, and give him a calculating look. I get close to him, grabbing his collar, and shoving him against the locker behind him.

"You can know one thing about me, but you will _**NEVER **_know everything. You don't know the hell that Amu and I have been through. You will never understand. Ever. I don't care what you think you know, or the suspicions you have, you will _**NEVER **_confront Amu about this or so help me I will make your life hell. Don't doubt me. Take me to the stupid class so I can get it over with and see Amu again. Got it?" I hiss. He glares at me, but nods his head.

He leads me down the hall to my room and I enter, getting hearts in girls eyes and a warm smile from the young, female teacher. I sat in the back of the class, silent, for the rest of class.

There was a war raging in my head and I didn't know how to fix it.

All I knew was that I had a feeling that my life was about to swirl into an all to the all to familiarity of disaster.

…

Tsumugu's P.O.V

Midori strolled around the kitchen, humming happily as she made dinner for the two of us. I could hear her cooing at her stomach. I just groaned into my hands. I was so stressed out with all that had happened.

Ikuto and Amu running away.

Aruto finding out that the tracking devices were deactivated.

Midori and her fantasy that the child in her stomach is a boy. It could very well be, in fact, I hope it was, but there was always a chance that it was a girl.

And I don't know what she would do if it was.

"Arutoooooo! Honey, dinner is ready!" Midori chirped happily, coming into the dining room clad in a frilly white apron and two plates of food in her hands.

"Oh, it looks delicious!" I say, feigning happiness as she sets it in front of me.

"Oh, thanks you dear! I know that you don't like healthy food that much, but I need to be eating healthy food. Its for the baby!" she says. I see a shimmering light in her eyes, and I don't have the heart to tell her that the food in front of me looks like blended up green crap.

Its her, in the end, that ends up eating, I certainly don't care.

"Honey…" I start. I have been letting her ignore all he important issues lately, but I knew that I couldn't just do this by myself.

"What is it dear?" she asks lovingly. I look into her beautiful eyes and I cant find it in my heart to bring her back to reality.

"I just wanted to tell you how happy I am that our family is growing." I finish, mentally slapping myself.

"Oh Tsumugu! Im just so happy!" she says, wiping her eyes as her smile beams brightly.

We better hope that this child is a boy, or I don't know what's going to happen.

But I certainly don't want to be the one to find out.

…

**I am so terribly sorry for the wait. I am an awful person. Awful, awful person! FORGIVE ME! Anyways, im not happy with this chapter, but oh well! I hope to update soon! Bye now! Thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14-Kisses That Warm The Heart

Ikuto's P.O.V

School is uneventful. It is only the first day and I knew that I won't like it. Girls ware always flocking around me, or flirting with me, making my skin crawl and my lip want to curl with disgust. They aren't Amu and they didn't have half the beauty, personality, or brains that she did.

"Iku-kuuuun," a red-haired girl 'purred' dragging her finger down my chest. It took everything in me not to push her back.

"And you are?" I ask casually.

Her face gets red and she gets an irritated look on her face, before her face goes back to its usual flirty expression. She tugs at her shirt, trying to show off more skin then it already is showing.

"Remember…my name is Saaya!" she says.

"Oh. Can you leave now?"

She gets this absolutely shocked expression on her face. She looks like I just told her Santa Clause wasn't real. Well, he isn't. She needed to finally be shown that she can't get what she wants by flirting and showing a little skin.

"Ikuto!" says a familiar, happy voice. A smirk creeps onto my face and I look over to see Amu coming towards me. Immediately, all eyes are on her. Boys follow her every movement, there eyes burning holes through her and there expressions filled with want and awe.

I barely withheld a growl from escaping my lips.

She skips over and sits in the seat right next me, telling me all the things that had happened in all her previous classes. She was so animated. I nodded every once in awhile, and just stared at her face as if I was listening, completely lost in thought. Amu was beautiful, that much was obvious. What if someone catches her eye, and she falls in love with someone who doesn't absolutely adore her (like I do)? When she was half asleep, she confessed that she was scared that I would find someone else and fall in love with her and forget her and she would 'die of broken heart.' The thing is, I think it would be the other way around.

I have loved Amu my whole life. She has always only been solely mine. I never had to share her, I never had to worry about her being stolen from me, I only had to worry about what those pathetic excuses of her parents would do to her.

But now I had to worry about all those things. Plus the fact that I started my job tomorrow and I had a feeling that everything that I loved would be put in danger.

"Ikuto! Ikuto! Are you even listening?" Amu asks, snapping me back to reality.

"Yeah. I just didn't hear what you asked." I say softly.

"I asked when you started your job."

"Tomorrow. I start tomorrow."

She gives me a look, a silent, pleading look. She wants me to tell her what my job is, I know that, but I couldn't put her in danger. Taking a deep breath, I decide to at least give her some partial truth.

"Im going to be a male model." I mumble. Her eyes widen, and a big smile transforms her face.

"Oh, Ikuto! It's perfect! You are so beautiful!" she says. A smirk fits my face as her pale face turns the color of cherries.

"I-I didn't- you know- You're not beautiful," she stutters quickly.

"Im not beautiful? That cuts deep Amu. I feel like im going to cry now," I say, closing my eyes and putting a hand over my heart in a dramatic way.

"You-you are beautiful! No! You-you're h-h-handsome!" she stutters, getting more red then I thought possible.

"You think I'm handsome?" I ask; leaning against my hand that's rested on the desk, smirk still on my face.

"Y-Yeah, you are," she hugs. "Everyone thinks you are. Its obvious." she says.

"Is it just as obvious that you are absolutely beautiful?" I ask, loving that I can get her so flustered.

"I-Im not that pretty," she mumbles. I tip her chin up and kiss her right on those red twin pillows that are her lips. Right in the middle of class. In front of everyone. Girls gasp. Boys gawk. It's just a good thing the teacher wasn't in the room.

I pull away, kissing her nose before sitting regularly in my desk.

"Don't ever doubt that again Amu." I say with a smirk. "Or the consequences will be even worse next time."

She just sits there. Eyes wide open. Face red from blush. Fingers tracing her lips.

I love the effect I have on her.

…

Amu's P.O.V

He kissed me. Ikuto kissed me. HE KISSED ME!

It was just so…different…

Ikuto had kissed me before, in the privacy of our apartment. I had always thought of the gesture as innocent and sweet, but the feelings that were blooming in my heart didn't seem so innocent. Every time that I was around him it was like we were opposite magnets.

I was positive.

He was negative.

We were naturally attracted to each other.

And when we touched, sparks would fly.

It left me so confused. I knew that I shouldn't be worrying about such vain things as that. We had escaped our psychotic parents, and were living like half an hour away from them. Plus the fact that we were out of food, and had bills to pay. And we were run always.

Couldn't forget that, now could we?

Ikuto eyes were focused on the teacher who had entered the classroom and silenced the uproar that Ikuto had caused. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, and I saw a smile creep on his face.

"Like what you see, strawberry," he whispers. My face heats up again for the thousandth time.

"Im not going through this again!" I whisper yell.

"Hinamori-san, do you find my lecture boring?" asks the teacher.

"N-No, sir, sorry," I say. He gives me a glare, and then continues.

"Tut-tut! Bad little Amu," teases Ikuto.

"You stop it!" I whisper. He smiles, and lays down his head on the desk, and immediately, his breathing starts to doze.

I watch him for a little bit, wondering where we will go from here. Wondering where we are going to go from here.

Where will we end up in the end?

Can we really make it through all? Or will all the crap that happened to us as kids ruin any chance we had of ever living even a partially normal life?

Will we make it or break it?

…

**THANKS FOR READING! Im sorry it takes so long to update, life is stressful! You guys are the best!**


	15. Chapter 15-Who Is The Trainer?

Ikuto's P.O.V

I woke up, as usual and Amu and I got ready for school. School was the same way that it was yesterday, girls flirted, boys gawked, I got irritated, and Amu was oblivious to it all. She had been all quiet and blush-y around me since I kissed her in class. It was cute, don't get me wrong, but I did want it to pass soon. The thing I loved most about our relationship was that there was no awkwardness. When she was all shy, we couldn't have our regular relationship.

And I had already decided that absolutely nothing could ever come between that.

"Talk to you later!" Amu yells, waving at the girls as I unlock our apartment. They wave back at her, smiling, and head to there respected homes. The door closes, and we stand in a silence. Its just a tad bit more awkward then our usual comfortable silence.

"I have to go work, Amu," I say softly. She looks up at me, forgetting about her shyness for a second, and letting her eyes fill with happiness.

"Oh, can I go with you?" she asks, intertwining her fingers together.

"No," I say sharply, a little bit more harshly then I had meant to. She flinches at my tone, and her face twists with hurt. She backs up a few steps, turning to go into our room, when I grab her wrist and yank her back into my chest.

For the first time in my life, she struggles against me, trying to get out of my strong grip.

I move my arms so they are wrapped around her waist, holding her to me, and snuggle into her neck, making her breath hitch and her temporarily stop struggling.

Before she can start again, I whisper to her, "Im sorry. Im just nervous. They told me that I couldn't bring anyone. I don't like it any more then you do, trust me, I don't. I don't want to leave you alone, but the fridge is empty, our stomachs' are empty, and our wallets are less then empty. I have to do it. So just let me hold you for awhile, before I leave, okay?" I ask softly. She turns around, holding me around the neck.

She giggles when I lift her up, so holding her is more comfortable, and I take her to the couch where I flop down.

"You're going to be a good model," she says softly.

I nod my head, not trusting my voice enough to give me away. In that pleasant warmth, I let time slip by. The silence this time is comfortable. And it passes far too quickly.

"I have to go," I murmur sleepily, sitting up. She nods her head and sits up, looking into my eyes.

One second, she is staring at me, the next my face is between her soft hands and her face is just centimeters away from mine. Her breath softly fans my face, making my lips tingle with anticipation.

"Close your eyes," she whispers. Entranced, bewitched, spell bound, whatever you call it, I do as she says. My azure eyes shut, though they cry to open so they can drink in the sight of her.

She sighs, and moves just a little bit closer, so our noses touch each other softly. I can tell she is hesitant, but I can't seem to break the spell she has over me. I don't want to break the spell that has been put over me. I part my lips.

"Kiss me," I whisper, almost silently.

"Don't tell me what to do," she whispers back, pressing her lips against mine. It was heaven. My body was no longer on this earth. The taste of her lips was such a sweet poison that I had died and gone to heaven.

Then she pulled away.

She got off of my lap quickly, turning her back to me hoping I wouldn't see the crimson red blush that had bloomed across her pale cheeks.

"Good luck," she said breathlessly, turning around and smiling at me and temporarily ignoring her blushing cheeks.

I give her a half hearted smile and get up, kissing her on the forehead again and walking out the door.

I walk down the street, planning on walking to the building (not an easy walk, mind you, but what other choice did I have) when a sleek black car pulls up. A familiar face peeks out of the tinted black windows and I don't even hesitate to open the backseat door and get it.

"Ah, Ikuto, it's good to see you again. Shall I tell you the details of your new job?" she asks in a cool voice. Yukari looks at me with a slight smile. I just wordlessly nod.

"Alright, well Easter is a multi-billion dollar company. We do modeling, singing, and numerous other things, but all the talents that come from here work for the darker side of Easter. When you have this big of a company, you have countless enemies. That is where you come in. I can tell that you are strong, and I can tell that you have a dark past; it shows in your eyes. We need someone who is beautiful," she says, grabbing my chin, and yanking me down closer to her, "And deadly," she finishes, pinching me lightly.

I lean back, getting out of her grip.

"You found the right person for the job. As long as you can pay, and stay the hell away from my friends, and family, we have a deal." I say.

"Well, then you better do a good job. If you so much as slip, Amu will pay for it." she says, leaning back casually and smirking at me. Fire ignites in his eyes.

"How the hell did you know about her?" I growl.

"Oh, I know almost everything about you. I know that your mother died in childbirth with you. I know your father is a very smart man. I know that Amu was born into a family that is relatively normal. I also know that you where never enrolled into school. You have been to the hospital, three times, all of them where 'accidents.' I know everything about you. I can ruin you. Or I can make you the best you could possibly be. Don't underestimate me." she says.

I glare at her. The things I have to do for money… its just plain dangerous at this point.

"I won't do anything." I say through clenched teeth. She gives me a surprised look.

"Of course you won't. That would be dumb." she says, laughing. She then gets serious, taking out papers from her brief case.

"Your code name is Alley Kat. You will always be on duty, and ready on call. No matter when or where. As you know, your day job will be as a model, and you better be damn good at it. As long as I make money, you will. Okay?" she asks. I nod my head, already tired from all this pour of information.

"Now pick a two word phrase." she says.

I don't really need to think. It seems pretty simple.

"Midnight Duet." I say softly, remembering how Amu would sing to me while I played violin. Our own burning duet.

"Alright, well, use this gun for now, I will get yours engraved and it will get to you one way or another. Today, you will just be training. We need to see what you can do. Find room 185. Be prepared for anything, remember that," she says as the car rolls to a stop. I get out, and walk into the gigantic building.

"Mr. Tsukiyomi," says the lady at the front desk, leading me away down twisting halls and secret doors. She points at the door and silently walks away. I open the door, only to be attacked.

Oh, hell no.

…

I stared at the five figures on the floor, all unconscious.

"Impressive," says a male voice from behind me. I turn around to see a well dressed man, standing in front of me with a smirk on his face. "I have a feeling that you will be a great asset to this company," he says.

I just glare at him.

"Now, go with this trainer, and he will get you in shape. And be prepared to be really tired tomorrow." he says, walking away, the door shutting behind him then opening again seconds later.

A familiar face stands before me, looking at me with such a sad expression that it almost hurts.

"Ikuto," he says his voice emotionless.

I close my eyes and drag my hand through my hair.

And the plot deepens.

…

**Thanks so much for reading! You guys are great! Feel free to tell me what you think! I love to hear it! You won't ever guess who it is, even though you think that you do! Thanks for waiting!**


	16. Chapter 16-For Her

Kairi's P.O.V

I could tell that he was frustrated. I could tell that Ikuto didn't like it that things were getting this confusing, and he knew that there would always be this elephant in the room that no one else would ever be able to understand. They would write it off as clashing personalities when it was so much more then that.

"Didn't expect it to be me, did you? I finally managed to surprise _you _for once," I say, walking around him, sizing him up.

"Honestly, im not that surprised. I mean, you acted like a total ass when either Amu or I had ever done anything to you. If you are going to be all 'mysterious' you might want to try harder," he says casually, making my temper flare.

I scowl, and strike, going for his stomach. He dodges, but I strike again, grazing him lightly.

We go back and fourth, him dodging and me attacking. But I never was able to touch him after that first graze.

I got angrier and angrier, striking faster and faster, but he was to fast for me. He did it without breaking a sweat.

I had trained and trained for years! Not just in one type of fighting style, but in many! Mastering them one after another.

Yet, this runaway was beating me.

He kicked my from behind, taking me by surprise. He didn't even give me any time to recover before he punched me in the stomach. And before I knew it, he had me in a head lock.

"You lack a lot of skills. You let your emotions take control of you. Skill, you have it, speed, not so much. You need to clear your head, not focus so much." he says lightly, letting go of me.

"How dare you! You have no right to talk to me like that! **I **am the trainer. **I **am the best." I yell at him.

He looks at me with a blank expression on his face.

"Book-smarts and street-smarts are two different things. I have experience with life-threatening situations, you, maybe not so much. We come from different places and different lives." he says nonchalantly.

"You have it all," I spit. "You have it easy."

He had started out the door and he turned around, a dangerous, deadly look in his eyes.

"You can say all the shit you want about my life, but you can't say it was easy. You wouldn't last a day in my shoes." he says angrily.

Im silent. He walks out the door, hands in his pockets like nothing every happened.

That asshole.

I would show him.

…

Ikuto's P.O.V

I hated things like this. I needed money to support Amu and myself, and I figure out other peoples secrets. Honestly, I didn't want to know that.

I walked out of the room and down the hallway, no destination really in mind.

I heard some singing up ahead, and I followed it. Maybe because it familiar. No matter how much I wanted to forget everything and everyone in that house, I couldn't forget my sister. Even if she wasn't blood related.

The nights when the thunder rolled and Amu and Utau where scared, they would curl up with me in Utau's room and I would lull them to sleep with stories of happy endings and princes who wanted princess' to pamper for the rest of their lives.

And Utau would sing. She would sing even after Amu was gone, and I just sat there, the comfort gone. She would sing when she was scared. When she was alone. When her father was drunk and passed out.

And she sung now. She sung beautifully, so beautifully that the whole world wanted to hear her voice.

Utau was here.

I cracked open the door, watching as she closed her eyes and lifted her hands, singing like it was just her.

I was snapped out of the trance when Kairi grabbed my shoulder.

"You don't have a chance with her." he says.

"I don't want her."

"Sure you don't. Anyways, you need to come with me. You need the details of your mission and uniform and all that stuff. Follow me." he says, pushing his glasses onto the tip of his nose and walking down the hall like he owns the place.

He leads me down the hall, and into a big conference room.

And I thought the day couldn't get any worse.

There, sitting in front of me, was a familiar face.

Another one.

I was so sick of this. I don't know why trouble was attracted to me, but it was.

There were two very familiar faces.

Nagi and Nade sat in front of me, the expression on there face full of shock.

"You're kidding me, right?" asks Nagi.

I smirk. "Read my mind."

"Well, this is a little awkward. I never thought you would get pulled into this," says Nade.

I shrug. "I have no money and I believe I own some to you two. There is no food in my fridge and Amu needs stuff. Im willing to do anything." I say casually.

"Don't enter yourself into this life for nothing but the money. It's not worth it." says Nade, her eyes filling with an emotion that I was unfamiliar with.

"Im not doing this for me. I don't think you realize that. Nothing I do is for me. It's for the girl that I know is sitting up awake, waiting for me to come home. Not saying she will make it. Can never stay up late. I do everything for Amu. I don't care about anything else. The sooner you realize that, the simpler it will be." I say.

They share a look and nod there heads.

"Then lets start the mission." says Nagi.

…

**Sorry for the wait! It's been to long! And its short…wow im an awful person! Thanks for reading, but it will be a while! Sorry for that!**


	17. Chapter 17-Welcome To Your Demise

Nade's P.O.V

The look in his eyes was so determined. It was a swirling mixture of determination, stress and if you looked deeper, you could see pain. Lots and lots of pain. There was no convincing him to turn away and run.

He was an unstoppable force.

Nagi gave me a look, thinking the exact same thing I was, and he looked away a little sadly.

"Then lets start the mission," he says. Ikuto nods his head, follows him out of the room. Its time to show him what we do.

"This mission isn't hard. Not by a long shot. This CEO, we'll call him Victor, is part of the mafia. He has been found….incapable of doing his job. Our job is to get rid of him." I elaborate.

Ikuto's face doesn't change from his usual emotionless mask. Unsure of what to do, I just continue.

"We are going to kill him easily. I mean, it's not going to be bloody or harsh. We will just slip something in his drink and be in and out before anyone can stop us. Nagi will pose as a servant and you and I will be posing as a couple. Nagi will cause a distraction while we slip away. He always has scotch next to his bed, and he has a tradition of always drinking it. Being in the mafia has its downside. You see things that don't leave you in your sleep. He drinks to sleep. Doesn't matter when. He will drink it and die. And it will all look like a heart attack." I say.

Ikuto blandly nods his head. I stop in my tracks and just stare at him. He turns back to look at me.

"You are so emotionless about this. Are you heartless?" I ask.

He chuckles.

"Your brain can't comprehend what Amu and I's life has been like. Hell. Utter hell. I have emotions, but they are rare and few in number." he says, a deadly look in his eyes.

"Nade. It's his business," says Nagi. I look at him incredulously. His eyes are calming, but I know he is curious too. I take a deep breath, and nod my head.

Nagi hands Ikuto a white bag that holds his suit, and does the same to me. I go into the bathroom and slip on my shimmering red dress. It has a low, sweetheart neckline, and a red silk band under the breasts. It hugs me tightly and goes all the way to my feet, but has a slit that goes up to my mid thigh. I look beautiful, stunning, and sexy. I tie my hair up in an intricate knot; put my gold and ruby dangling earrings and matching necklace. A thin layer of makeup covers my face, making my features pop. I put on my shoes and walk out the door.

I walk out to find Ikuto sitting there, bored yet still looking stunning in his suit. Nagi comes out looking just like a servant, and a smile makes its way onto my face.

"We need to hurry. I can't be late if I want to be able to fit in." says Nagi. We head out of the building, entering the sleek, black BMW that will take us to where we need to go.

We arrive at the grand mansion, so prim and proper that it almost looks fake. I turn to Ikuto and give him a sad smile.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I ask. He has one more chance to say no. One more chance.

"Im ready." he replies.

Welcome to your Demise.

…

Amu's P.O.V

It was late. I knew it was late. My whole body felt like lead and my eyes were drooping dangerously low. But I wanted to see Ikuto.

I wanted to ask him about how his first day of work was.

I wanted to be the smiling face that he saw when he got home.

But I was so tired. Worrying had really worn me out. I wanted nothing more then to just go to sleep.

The clock on the stove read 23:32 pm (11:32) and that was really late. Especially for me. Ikuto was always the nocturnal. He would sneak out of his house and into mine to rock me to sleep, or just snuggle with me, letting me go to sleep while he was still wide awake. Then he would wake up at the crack of dawn and sneak back to his house, only having a few hours of sleep.

I couldn't even function on less then eight hours of sleep.

I tried to stare at the TV. Trying to get engrossed in the boring show that no normal person would want to watch. Everyone should be asleep.

I got up, went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face in an attempt to wake me up. But it's not really of much use. Im sleepy, and whether I want to stay awake or not, my body demands sleep.

I curl back under the soft brown blanket on the couch. There is a bland commercial on the television, and I tell myself that I will only close my eyes until the show comes back on. My body deceived me, and it wasn't long until I was drifting off into haunting nightmares.

_Dream_

_It was dark. So dark. Blacker then any black I had ever seen._

_I saw a little girl. She was dressed in a white dress, stained with dirt and ripped in many places. Her pink hair is knotted and tangled to her shoulders. She was crying like her heart was breaking as her parents hovered over her, screaming words that all just slurred together._

_She was so scared. _

_She was all by herself._

_Worthless._

_Useless. _

_And utterly petrified._

_No one loved her and no one was there to save her. She would be alone for the rest of her pathetic life._

_Then she saw a light. It was so bright that it nearly blinded her. A figure stepped out. _

_Ikuto. _

_He was here to save her. His smile was bright, and it gave her hope in her utter hopelessness. But his calm features warped. They turned into a wicked sneer and the light that was once so bright, was now pitch black just like the rest of her small world. _

_He was telling her how useless she was now. He had betrayed her._

_Her light was gone._

_She was slowly being consumed by darkness, and it was snacking its way up her limbs and eventually suffocating her._

_Until there was nothing left._

_End of dream_

I bolted up, sweat drenching me.

"Ikuto…" I called out weakly, searching around for his presence.

"Ikuto!" I yell, blindly and frantically searching around the darkness for the figure I needed to touch to make all the bad things go away.

Then I realized I was all alone. Ikuto was gone, for now at least. He had left me, even though he had reason to. Still, I didn't like it. I wanted him here. I wanted him to tell me that everything was okay and that nothing could hurt me. Nothing would hurt him.

We would be okay.

_**As Long As Were Together, **_right?

I just wanted him to be home right now.

I curl back up on the couch, the televisions dull noise lulling me back into a dreamless sleep.

…

Ikuto's P.O.V

It was simpler then I though.

Nagi snuck in the back, and seamlessly blended in with the rest of the servants. Nade and I were welcomed with open arms because of our looks. No one even second guessed us. We put on our fake smiles and socialized like the true socialites we were pretending to be. About an hour in, we hear a clash in the middle of the dance floor.

Nagi is on the ground, a gold platter next to him with a concoction of broken glass and champagne surrounding him. 'Victor' is red in the face, anger rolling off of him in waves.

As Nade and I sneak away, we hear his bellow.

"GET OUT!" and it causes Nade to snicker.

We easily sneak into his room, pour the powder into his beverage, and we are sneak back into the party.

It wasn't hard at all.

We found our excuses to leave, and all three of us got back in that black BMW and we were done.

We efficiently caused the death of another human being.

"You will get paid in full when we get back. Then we can drive you back home if you want us too," says Nade as we park the car and start walking towards the building. We get in there and wordlessly I am handed an envelope. I open it and see more money then I have seen in my entire life.

And it was mine.

"Can we take a stop before we get home?" I ask Nagi. He nods his head. We pack into the car and I tell them where I want to go.

The twenty-four hour grocery store.

I didn't want Amu to be hungry.

I go in there, and walk down the isles. If it looks good, it goes in the cart. I get the essentials, treats, and some strawberries for Amu.

Our fridge will be full for the first time. I pay for everything, load up my arms to the breaking point, and walk back to the car.

I take our more money out of the envelope and hand it to Nagi.

"Rent." I say, and he accepts.

We get home without another word and I get my food and silently go inside. I unpack all the food, putting it in its proper place and sneak over to the couch where a sleeping Amu lies.

I lay next to her, loving how she immediately snuggles against me.

"Ikuto," she murmurs in her sleep, and a smile creeps onto my face. That is until she turns her head to reveal red rimmed eyes.

She had been crying… And I wasn't there to help her…

Im sorry.

"Don't cry, love, im here now." I murmur, and she snuggles even closer to me. I pick her up, carry her to bed and crawl in next to her.

"Nothing can hurt you while im here, I promise,"

…

**It's been awhile…yeah…sorry! Hope this makes up for it! It's longer then usual!**


	18. Chapter 18-All Day FIXED

Amu's P.O.V

I hated his job. I hated how he left me every night and was making breakfast when I woke up. I hated how little time I had to spend with him. How he made excuse after excuse. How he lied to me.

I didn't want him to have to do this only for such a trivial thing like money.

When I confronted him about this, he didn't seem to think that money was as trivial as I did. That was yesterday.

He hasn't talked to me since.

It was Saturday, and Ikuto was still sleeping. I managed to stay awake until he got home, and pretended to be asleep when he changed out of his clothes and crawled into bed. He tucked me in, and stroked my head a few times, making it hard for me to keep my breathing even.

"_You are just too young to understand." _he murmured before he fell asleep.

He thought of me as a child. He didn't understand! He wasn't that much older then me! I was no child! I know that I had been asleep for a long time, and I have things that I need to learn, but that does not make me a child. Both of us went through all types of abuse as children. Both of us probably needed a bare minimum of 15 years of therapy.

Both of us were broken.

I love Ikuto. I love him more than anything. If he left, I would be devastated, not because of everything that I would lose, but because of him, as a person. That's all I needed. Just him.

But I don't need him because I am solely reliant on him. I can fend for myself. I need him because im not complete without him. I can't be complete without him.

I wiped a stray tear away from my betraying eyes. No more crying, Amu. You are a big girl now. Having to be so dependant on myself the last two weeks had matured me.

I tried to get all thoughts of Ikuto out of my head and focus on the stupid show playing on the television. I really didn't have the attention span for it anymore. I was far to sleep deprived from worrying so much.

There was the light sound of footsteps, Ikuto came out from the hallway, his Azure hair messy, and his eyes squinted from sleep. He was shirtless, just wearing his black pajama pants. Guess he finally decided to get up. It was close to 13:30 (1:30). I mean, he didn't get home to 5:21...he should be tired.

And I should be full rested, right?

I keep my eyes trained on the television, just like he isn't there, my face completely blank. He walks into the kitchen, opening the fridge and I can hear the faint bustle of him making himself breakfast most likely. Then it's completely silent.

Still, I keep my eyes trained on the television.

First, he is in the kitchen, the next moment, he pounds his hands on either sides of my head and stares me straight in the face. I know now that my expressionless face has morphed into a face of surprise, but still I don't look at him. I keep my eyes trained at a wall to my right.

"Amu," he says softly, wordlessly demanding my attention. It takes every fiber of my being to not to listen.

"Amu." he says louder. His voice is more demanding. He isn't asking anymore. You can hear the authority behind his voice.

In all honestly, I didn't like it one bit.

He trails his warm hand down the side of my face, making goose bumps rise on my arms. The affect this boy had on me…it just wasn't fair.

He leans his head down, kissing my cheek lightly. Still I don't respond.

This has never happened before. We have never really fought before. Usually, if Ikuto wants my attention, then he gets it. In all honesty, when it comes to me, Ikuto comes first. I pay attention to him, get what he wants for him. Really, usually I bend over backwards to make him happy. It feels weird to ignore him.

Most definitely something that I don't like.

"Amu," he begs. "Please look at me."

I tip my head up so it's staring at the ceiling now. I think, if it did anything, it added oil to the fire.

He grabs my head, pulling it to his level, but I keep my eyes trained away from him.

That didn't seem to bug him though.

He leans forward, capturing my lips in his. My eyes grow wide, warmth spreading through my body like a warm drink on a cold day. Out of instincts, my eyes close, and I clutch his arm.

He pulls away, looking at me.

"Im sorry," he says, laying his head on my shoulder. I sigh, running my hand through his hair.

"It's fine." I say. He crawls onto the couch, his legs making a bridge over mine and his head still on my shoulder, practically buried in my neck. He liked contact, if you couldn't tell.

"We have barely talked at all in awhile." he says.

"You haven't really been around," I say quietly.

"My job is demanding. The photo shoots suck. They are boring. Ill have to start bringing you to them so you can see what I do," he says.

"Really!?" I ask, excited. I thought he was being all secretive about his job, now he is willing to let me go with him to work? What was with the sudden change?

"Im sorry I haven't been here for the past few weeks. The job is demanding. They always want you there. Then I have to entertain people all night long." he says, exhaustion lacing his voice. I had been so caught up with myself that I had completely forgotten how late he had been coming home, then having to wake up for school. He honestly wasn't sleeping at all, yet he still woke up early to make me breakfast.

And I had been so rude.

And I was being so selfish.

How could I, when he was the one sacrificing for me?

"What do you mean entertain people? Like….like a…like a-" I start but I can't seem to finish.

He tilts his head up so he can look at me better.

"Like a what, Amu?" he asks, his voice laced with amusement. He was torturing me, and he knew it. That sadist.

"Like a-a-a….like a prostitute!" I finally spit out, my face red. He sits up, looking at me, before bursting out laughing, covering his mouth.

"Stop laughing!" I say, hitting his arms, but that only seemed to make it worse.

Finally, when he seemed to be able to compose himself, he looked up at me.

"Do you honestly think that I would prostitute myself?" he asks.

"You would make a lot of money…" I say under my breath, my own smile growing.

"Hmmm, well, now that you have the idea on my brain I might have to try it out. Are you willing to pay for my company by the hour?" he asks, winking at me.

I blush.

"Nah. For a girl like you, ill give it to you for free," he says with a wink, making my blush grow.

"Stop that," I say, swatting his arm.

He smiles down at me, like im really something special.

I look away from him, my cheeks getting red again.

"Ikuto,"

"Strawberry."

"Will you…Will you…" I can't seem to squeeze the words out.

"Will I what?"

"Will you just stay here…with me…all day…? Never mind, that was stupid, you probably have pla-" I start to say before he cuts me off.

"I would love to stay here all day with you. I was hoping you would ask that," he says, stretching his body over the couch, ignoring the fact that im sitting on it, and just puts his head on my lap.

Come on Amu….just do it…you know you want to…

I lean down and kiss him, short and quick before another word can be said. Then, the television seems to become very interesting. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him blink and just stare at nothing with a shocking expression on his face. Slowly, a smile graces his face and he watches the television too.

It was just him and I for the rest of the day.

I knew that I needed to treasure this. I knew that there was something bad that was going to happen.

I knew this was just the calm before the storm.

…

**Sorry for the wait (like usual….) I don't think it's as late as last time! I hope you like it and feel free to tell me what you think! I always love to hear! Thanks for reading!**


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